


I Know What You Are

by TaraHarkon



Series: Incorporeal [6]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, INAverse, Undead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 08:23:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16114574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaraHarkon/pseuds/TaraHarkon
Summary: Savannah and Keats have been dating for some time now but Keats hasn't told his secret. But Savannah may have figured it out. Or at least she thinks she has.An INAverse fic





	I Know What You Are

_ \- Wanna hike the mountain on Saturday? _

Keats heard the ding of his tablet and looked over to where it lay on his bed. Then he scrambled to grab it, realizing the message was from Savannah. Saturday? He was pretty sure he didn't have plans for Saturday. Not, of course, that there was much he'd rather do than spend time with his girlfriend. But if Mom and Dad had planned something or if Angus had wanted him to go somewhere, then maybe he would just see if he could invite Savannah along on that instead. 

They'd done a lot of hiking recently but they hadn't done the mountain yet. That would be a pretty good challenge for them and he could take the chance to maybe show off a little. He loved the way she responded to him showing off outdoors skills (or just taking his shirt off, honestly). He grinned and tapped out a response.

\-  _ Absolutely. How about a picnic at the top? _

After a few minutes, she responded with a little happy face.

\-  _ Sounds perfect! See you there! _

Over the next few days, they discussed their planned route and what they would each bring for snacks and for the picnic itself. He was planning on making sandwiches, the sort that Taako had taught him that traveled well and didn't take up a lot of room but were stunningly filling. She was bringing a side and had kept her mouth shut on exactly what. That was a-okay with him though. Her surprises were almost always fun. 

When Saturday rolled around, he met her at the bottom of the mountain and tried very hard to ignore Barry waving as he drove off. Sometimes, Dad could be as embarrassing as Mom was and apparently he'd chosen now to be that time. Savannah was already waiting for him, sitting on one of the large rocks at the edge of the parking lot near the trailhead. She was listening to music while she waited, her red and gold hair reflecting the light of the early morning sun. He smiled, chewing his lower lip. Gods, she was beautiful.

"Hey there. Waiting for someone special?"

She snorted and slid off the rock, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"You absolute dork." She kissed his cheek then and giggled as the blush shot up his ears as always. "My dork though, so it works out."

He looped his arm around her waist, just under her backpack. 

"Ready to hit the mountain?"

"Ready when you are, Bluejeans."

His ears flicked up and he smiled at that. He was still getting used to that being his name now. Keats Bluejeans. She'd been using it since before it had been made official, helping him adjust. She caught the movement and laughed. She turned so she was walking backward towards the trail, looking the scant inches up at him. Then she held her hand out and he took it with a smile.

"Let's go."

 

* * *

 

When they reached the top, Savannah was panting with exertion. It had been a whopper of a hike, way more than either of them had thought, and it was much later.

"So much for a lunch picnic." She put a hand up, shading her eyes as she looked out towards the city. "Hell, I'll be impressed if we get back down before dark."

Keats set his pack down and stretched. He wasn't tired in the slightest, though he tried to hide that. She set her pack down beside his and turned, leaning her head against his shoulder as his arms slid around her waist.

"I made sandwiches." He said, with a laugh. "So it's not like we can't eat them on the way back down."

She bumped her forehead against his, mindful of her curling horns.

"I'm not going back down that mountain just yet, Keats, not until we've had a break. Come on, we can always call your folks and let them know it was a rougher climb than we expected."

He smiled and caught her in a quick kiss.

"If you think  _ your _ folks'll go for that, then sure. Picnic time."

Savannah laughed and went to grab her contribution out of her bag while Keats grabbed the sandwiches he'd packed. Then they sat at the base of a tree, leaning against each other, and looked out at the city in the distance. After a long moment, Savannah took a sip of her water and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Keats, can I ask you something?"

His ears flicked up and he turned towards her, swallowing.

"Yeah, anything."

She took a breath.

"Are you... a vampire?"

For a long moment, there was silence. Then Keats took a long drink from his water bottle, trying not to choke on a laugh.

"What?! Savannah, that... What?" 

She moved so she could look at him, counting her points on her fingers.

"One, you're basically a freezie pop. Even when we literally just finished a hike that was so bad I sweat through everything I'm wearing. Two, I'm not convinced you've got a pulse and you're my preferred pillow, so I'd know. Three, sometimes you forget to breathe. Don't pretend like you don't. I've caught you. Four, you ask permission for basically everything. You asked permission to come in when I invited you over. That basically screams vampire. Five, mix that all together with your like... out of touch with modern shit aesthetic. I love you but sometimes... Sweetheart, you literally asked me if Aerosmith was a band.  _ Aerosmith _ . So answer the question. Keats, are you a vampire?"

Keats pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out how to handle this. Okay, technically no one had ever told him that he couldn't tell Savannah. Just that he should really think about it first.

"I eat garlic. And... and I have manners! Savannah, honey, I'm not a vampire." He opened his mouth. "See? Normal teeth. No fangs. Definitely just an Elf."

"Explain the rest then."

She didn't sound mad or upset or anything like that. Just curious. Alright, time to take a leap. Keats took a breath and pulled his shirt off so she could see the harness. And the five or so small, round scars on his chest and stomach.

"This... this might sound kind of wild but... Just go with me here, okay?" When she nodded a little, concern on her face as she touched those scars, he continued on. She'd seen him shirtless, but usually, they were too busy for her to notice those small marks. They weren't all that obvious, pale pink against pale peach. "I really am only eighteen but... I was born... longer ago than that. I just sort of... wasn't... for a little while, I guess? That probably makes things even more confusing, huh? Alright, lemme try again. I turned eighteen in 1964 and I... ended up going to Vietnam..."

* * *

By the time he'd finished the whole story, she was staring at him with wide eyes. She brushed gentle fingers across his cheek, almost like she was reassuring herself that he really was there.

"You... you died."

He nodded a little and put his hand on hers.

"I didn't want to say anything because it's... you know, it's really fucking weird. But I guess now you know and... and I hope that's okay."

She leaned in and kissed him gently.

"Of course it is." Then she tapped the harness. "So what's this do, Jack Skellington?"

His ears shot straight up and she laughed.

"It's a movie. We'll watch it sometime. But really, what's this thing do?"

He ran a hand along the strap.

"It keeps me looking like a normal guy instead of like... dead. Something about solid light projections and ectoplasmic energy? I don't know, I tune Noelle out every time she starts trying to explain the science because she sounds like a bad episode of Flash Gordon."

She nodded a little at that, smiling at yet another one of his cryptic references to the time before. They'd always puzzled her but now she had the answers. She leaned against him again, head resting on his shoulder.

"You know I'm not gonna disappear on you now, right? I'm not gonna... I'm not gonna just take all that and split. You just bared your whole soul, pretty literally, and... it means a lot. That, and honestly, you being dead isn't all that weird compared to the rest of my family." She tapped one of her curling horns with a little grin. "My great granddad comes to Candlenights sometimes. Let me tell you, there's nothing like having a rift to the nine hells just casually open in the basement and a demon lord stepping out all like 'who wants presents!'"

* * *

 

When Keats ran in through the front door and burst into the kitchen, Lup looked up.

"I thought you were gonna be home hours ago, michen? What happened?"

His ears flicked straight up and he got a huge smile on his face.

"Savannah knows I'm dead! She figured it out on her own and she doesn't think it's weird and she's not gonna break up with me!" Then he paused, a curious look on his face. "But she thought I was a vampire at first which was really weird."

Lup laughed.

"I knew she was a smart one." When he said vampire, she bit her lower lip, trying not to laugh. "Random question, but does she like Twilight?"

"I mean, yeah. She's got the books. Why? What's that got to do with anything?"

"No reason, just curious. I'm glad she was understanding though."

 


End file.
